Apple prepares important iPhone 12 update after France radiation row

APPLE is set to issue a software update for iPhone 12 users in France to prevent the recall of devices over radiation concerns.

The tech giant has bowed to pressure from French watchdog ANFR, after it banned the sale of the iPhone 12s over radiation concerns.

PA:Press Association

Following a series of tests, ANFR found the smartphone’s Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) was slightly higher than legally allowed, France’s junior minister for the digital economy, Jean-Noel Barrot, told local newspaper Le Parisien.

“Concerning phones already sold, Apple must in the briefest of delays take corrective measures to bring the affected phones into compliance,” the ANFR said in a statement on its website.

“Otherwise, Apple will have to recall them.”

According to Barrot, a software update is all that is needed to bring the radiation down in iPhone 12s, which have been sold since 2020.

Apple was given two weeks to respond to the sale suspension.

But the company issued a statement just two days later saying: “We will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators.

“We look forward to iPhone 12 continuing to be available in France.”

However, the tech titan continued to content radiation regulator ANFR’s findings, adding that the iPhone model has been certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with global standards.

“This is related to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern,” it said.

Barrot has welcomed the software update.

While ANFR is preparing to quickly test the update to ensure it is compliant with European standards, before it lifts the sale ban.

There was concern that the ban could spread across the European Union, with regulators in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands saying they were looking into the ANFR report yesterday.

“A norm has been exceeded. Fortunately, there is no acute safety risk but we will very shortly have a talk with producer,” Angeline van Dijk, an inspector with the Nederlandse Rijksinspectie Digitale Infrastructuur (RDI), told the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.

“The Netherlands attaches as much importance as France to safe use of mobile phones. Mobile phones must comply with European norms.”

Radiation can be emitted from phones which can be harmful to our health, experts have cautioned.

It’s why people are encouraged not to sleep with them under their pillow.

Equally, men are advised not to store their phone in their trouser pockets while ladies should leave them out of their bra.

How do I know if I’m affected?

If you’re unsure what iPhone model you have, there’s a simple way to check.

Open your iPhone’s Settings > General > About.

Here you’ll find your device’s model number.

If you have an iPhone 12, your model number will be one of the following:

• A2172
• A2402
• A2404
• A2403

If the model number doesn’t match with that of an iPhone 12 and you’re still curious, check Apple’s list of model numbers.

However, it’s important to note that if you’re based in the UK or the US, the sale ban and potential recall is unlikely to affect you.

The ban is currently exclusive to France.

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